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WASHINGTON (AP) — In a significant move, the Trump administration has initiated the firings of several hundred employees at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), disrupting operations during a peak travel weekend and coming on the heels of a tragic mid-air collision earlier this year at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Affected staff, predominantly probationary workers, received termination notifications via late-night emails on Friday, according to David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union.
The dismissed personnel include those assigned to crucial roles in the maintenance of FAA radar systems, landing gear, and navigational aids. An air traffic controller, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, provided this information to the Associated Press.
Spero indicated that notifications began around 7 p.m. on Friday and extended into the night. He warned that more employees might receive termination notices over the extended weekend or may be denied access to FAA facilities on the following Tuesday.
The terminations were described by Spero as being enacted “without cause nor based on performance or conduct,” and the emails were sent from an ‘exec order’ Microsoft email address, raising questions about their legitimacy.
This wave of layoffs coincides with an ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers, a problem federal officials have highlighted for years. The issues within the air traffic control system have been exacerbated by a lack of competitive salary offers, demanding shift patterns, rigorous training requirements, and enforced retirement policies.
Following the harrowing mid-air collision on January 29, which involved a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet, scrutiny on FAA operations has intensified. This incident is currently under investigation, and it was revealed that one controller was managing both commercial airline and helicopter traffic at the critical time of the accident.
Just prior to this crash, President Donald Trump dismissed all members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, a body created by Congress in the wake of the 1988 PanAm 103 bombing to oversee safety protocols at airports and with airlines.
One former FAA employee suggested that his termination was not part of a broader strategy to cut staff, but rather a targeted action due to his opinions on Tesla and X, formerly known as Twitter. Both of these companies are associated with Elon Musk, who has been vocally advocating for reducing the size of the federal government.
Charles Spitzer-Stadtlander, who took to LinkedIn to share his experience, reported being fired shortly after midnight on Saturday, just days after receiving abusive messages on Facebook following his criticisms of Tesla and Twitter.
“The official DOGE Facebook page began targeting my personal account after I expressed my views on Tesla and Twitter,” Spitzer-Stadtlander noted. “Less than a week passed, and I received my termination notice, even though my position was supposed to be secured due to national security implications.”
He further recounted that upon his firing, he was abruptly locked out of his computer with all of his files deleted without prior notice.
Spitzer-Stadtlander maintained that he should have been exempt from these layoffs since his FAA office was tasked with monitoring national security threats, specifically concerning potential drone attacks on airspace.
The Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency has yet to issue a statement regarding the firings, which were first reported by CNN.
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This article reflects the ongoing challenges faced by the FAA, amidst heightened scrutiny surrounding air travel safety and staffing concerns.
Source
www.yahoo.com